Patient on patient attacks in hospitals and clinics across the north have soared by more than 40% in the space of a year, new figures have revealed.
The number of violent incidents reported in the NHS Highland area jumped from 121 in 2011/12 to 172 in 2012/13, according to figures released under Freedom of Information legislation.
In one case, a woman was found lying on the floor with blood coming from her head, while a male patient held a stick to her neck.
The majority of attacks took place at New Craigs Hospital in Inverness, which deals with patients suffering from a range of psychiatric conditions.
However, a patients’ representative group last night described the figures as “frightening” and called for increased security on all wards.
The Royal College of Nursing said the situation was not being helped by the fact that NHS staff were “rushed off their feet”.
Scottish Conservative health spokesman Jackson Carlaw MSP said patients “of all types” should feel at ease on hospital wards.
He added: “Unfortunately, staff are currently so overstretched playing the role of security guard is something that is simply not possible alongside the wealth of other duties.”
Dr Jean Turner, of the Scotland Patients Association, described the findings as “frightening and tragic”.
She said: “If you don’t have the staff levels and you don’t have the rooms to be able to separate patients when necessary, it is going to happen.
“It would be better if there was a security service available to help.”
Norman Provan, Royal College of Nursing associate director, said: “We know that nursing and other healthcare staff are under pressure, with more and more patients needing increasingly complex care.
“With staff often rushed off their feet trying to do the best possible for patients, it’s not surprising that patients’ frustrations may sometimes boil over.
“But like any violence in our NHS, it’s not acceptable and all incidents should be reported to the police and, where and as appropriate, those involved prosecuted.”
In the neighbouring NHS Grampian area, there were 351 attacks – a drop on the previous year’s figure of 410.
The safest hospitals proved to be those in the island areas.
There has not been a single recorded incident in Orkney in the past three years, while NHS Shetland has not recorded any incidents since two were reported at the Gilbert Bain Hospital in 2011.
In the Western Isles, there were five attacks in 2012/13 – a sharp drop from 2011/12 when 27 attacks were reported.
A spokesman for NHS Highland said: “The NHS takes the care of its patients and staff very seriously and we encourage all incidents of violent and aggressive behaviour to be reported so we can investigate and learn from incidents allowing us to continually improve patient and staff safety.
“However we do recognise that some incidents reported relate to distressed, confused and unwell patients whose perception of the environment and the intentions of those around them may be altered resulting in challenging behaviour.”
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “Patient safety is a key priority for our NHS and the Scottish Government expects health boards to monitor such incidents and ensure lessons are learnt so that every patient can be confidence that they will receive the best available treatment without fear of harm.”